26 pages • 52 minutes read
Begum RokeyaSultana's Dream
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1905A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Nighttime in India and Daytime in Ladyland
The images of Indian night and Ladyland’s day are introduced at the beginning of the story. Sultana sees India’s moonlit sky from her room, but once she leaves with Sister Sara, she discovers it is “a fine morning” (7). Nighttime in India symbolizes the oppression and seclusion of women in patriarchal colonial India. Meanwhile, daytime in Ladyland symbolizes the empowerment of women in a progressive, utopian society. The day and night dichotomy also represents women’s lack of access to formal education in India as opposed to compulsory education for women in Ladyland. The nighttime symbolizes Sultana’s reality contrasted with the “fine morning” that represents her dream. The dichotomy of this imagery also foreshadows the Gender Role Reversal introduced in the rest of the story.
Gardens
In “Sultana’s Dream,” gardens are a motif representing themes such as female empowerment, environmental harmony, and societal transformation. Through the depiction of gardens in Ladyland, Begum Rokeya communicates her vision of a utopian society where women are liberated from patriarchal constraints and live in harmony with nature.
Gardens have pleasant associations for Sultana. Thus, when Sister Sara invites her for a stroll in the garden, Sultana accepts, remembering the walks they had in the “botanical gardens” of Darjeeling. Sister Sara’s house is also located in a “beautiful heart-shaped garden” (10), and when Sultana meets the Queen, she is “walking on a garden path with her little daughter” (17). The gardens in Ladyland stand for the ecofriendly lifestyle they have achieved through their scientific advancements. Lush greenery and flowers indicate the country’s peace and prosperity. Rokeya presents Ladyland as both a literal and figurative garden where women can reach their full potential like flowers in full bloom.
Koh-i-Noor
The Koh-i-Noor (meaning “mountain of light” in Persian) is a famous diamond known for its size and weight. It was also a much-coveted possession by various rulers of India, Iran, and Afghanistan, symbolizing immense wealth and prosperity. The diamond is currently part of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.
The Koh-i-Noor is priceless, not only due to its material value but also its legendary origin and problematic history. The Queen of Ladyland references the diamond when she asserts that her country is founded on the bedrock of peace and the quest for knowledge, and not the coveting of riches, even if they are “a thousandfold brighter than the Koh-i-Noor” (17). In “Sultana’s Dream,” the diamond symbolizes the patriarchal values of male monarchs who wage war in the pursuit of wealth and power. By contrast, Ladyland’s Queen considers knowledge as wealth and is content with her country’s resources.
